256kbps, 44.1kHz stereo

Preview

This is the one that started it all for me. My buddy Naushad gave me a cassette copy of this CD in grade 8 elementary school and I literally wore it thin. I lucked out by finding the CD used in perfect condition at my corner CD shop, LA Music, and over the years I used and abused it to oblivion as well. I’ve since bought it once again and am happy to share it with you all now that it’s long out of print.

This CD is laden with classic house anthems by some of the best-respected producers. Tracks scale back from the early 90′s all the way to the mid-80′s. The mixing is very studio – quite obviously a made-for-stores compilation, but uncompromising in track selections. This is more than can be said for Chris Sheppard’s later compilations, but many of his early ones were a window into Toronto’s kicking club and rave scene of the day. London, Manchester, Detroit, Chicago, Toronto featured microcosms of each of those scenes, a few city blocks apart, every weekend.

So who is Chris Sheppard? Truth be told, he’s kind of a weenie. He’s a great Canadian hoser who practised a sultry British accent just long enough to be opaque to e-tards. His actual mixing skills are dubious if present at all (I’ve not seen him live but have heard stories of breaking needles on the first mix and pulling the wrong record off a turntable) but the man’s got an ear, and that’s what’s most important. He turned me on, I tuned in, and I’ve never turned back. For me, Chris Sheppard was rock’s executioner.

I’m thrilled to share this mix with you. I think it stands the test of time just as well as the songs that make it up. Even if you’re not interested in house music I encourage you to at least press play on the sample above. It’s the song I consider my anthem, “Living My Life Underground” by Mind Readers featuring Malik Hart. I always adored this song and I ended up growing into it. It was about me before I fit the mold.

See discogs.com for track listing and more info.

320kbps, 44.1kHz stereo

Preview

I own this one.. somewhere.. but haven’t been able to dig it up out of my many boxes of CDs.  Lost in the ether, I suppose, like so many fondly remembered but never again found albums.  I can’t thank “Kevin” enough for so generously supplying me with this top-notch quality rip for the purpose of sharing publicly.

Volume 2 had the very toughest of acts to follow.  Whereas Chris Sheppard’s Pirate Radio Sessions Volume 1 was such an ambitious microcosm encapsulating a diverse decade of house music, this album was much more tightly focused with a narrower and more cohesive spectrum.  I think this represented too great of a shift for me, as I had very high hopes that this series would continue exhibiting this diversity.  As such, I never got into this CD.

Listening to it again a decade later I have a lot more appreciation for it.  Although the release dates of the songs are consistently current, there’s still an assorted but samey mix of house, club anthems, and trance.  The mixing is unquestionably a lot tighter and a bit more like a DJ set than the first album (though with some obvious studio edits), and this was a concept completely lost on me at the tender age of 16 when this CD came out.  Whereas the first album was a history lesson, this one is firmly improsoned in 1994.  Fluxland.. nuff said, right?

I share this with you all in the hopes that the nostalgia will be meaningful to you.  Me, I didn’t start attending clubs and raves for another couple of years so my memories are of being a goody two-shoes in high school, still only familiarizing myself with electronic music and soaking up as much as I could like an insatiable sponge.  Although this period made an enormous impression on me and on my musical tastes for the rest of my life, even back then I still had an opinion of songs that were harmonically and technically impressive versus simplistic and derivative ones, and much of this album falls into the latter description. (though the production quality of The Real Thing by Tony Dibart is very impressive)

I know I’m missing a piece of the puzzle, though.  Had I been there in person watching Shep spin at RPM perhaps I might have found some hidden significance, an underlying theme or charm, or otherwise fond memories of crowd reactions or of having heard some of these songs in context, perhaps then I would be singing a different tune here today.  Alas, in a year where I was opening my mind to the likes of Acen, L.A. Style, 808 State, Moby, Bassheads, and Nine Inch Nails, these vapid club anthems were everpresent but soon forgotten.

Anyway, that’s enough sour grapes for now.  What are your memories of this era?  What was it like basking in the glory of Chris Sheppard, Toronto superstar and poster child for Canadian dance culture?  What did I miss?

P.s., that Junior Vasquez track at the end is a real slammer!!

1       Hope   -        Tree Frog      4:34
2     Maxx  –      Get-A-Way (Original Mix)     3:34
3     Quench  –      Dreams     3:04
4     XL  –      Fluxland     3:09
5     Ramp  –      Rock The Discotek     3:52
6     2 Minds  –      We’ve Got Ya     2:25
7     Mellow Mellow  –      One 4 Love     6:17
8     Sonic Surfers  –      Don’t Give It Up     3:48
9     R.M. Project  –      Rock To The Beat     3:39
10     Tony Di Bart  –      The Real Thing (If I Can’t Have You)     4:25
11     Reel 2 Real  –      Go On Move (Judge Jules & Michael Scream Up Remix)     4:58
Remix – Jules & Skins
12     Liberty City  –      If You Really Love Somebody (Original Mix)     2:37
13     Funky Green Dogs  –      High Up     2:39
14     Legion Of Boom  –      Reach For Me     2:45
Featuring – Sonja
15     Direct 2 Disc  –      Back Stab     3:40
Vocals – Crystal Waters
16     Junior Vasquez  –      X (Sound Factory Mix)     5:41

Download Side B – 35:29, 64.9 MB (incomplete)

256kbps, 44.1kHz stereo

Perceived peak independent channels normalized

Preview

When you leave a Toronto nightclub any time after midnight you’re pretty well guaranteed to be bombarded with a flurry of fliers for other events and parties.  In the 90′s it was rare to see any event with house music without the names Peter and Tyrone written near or at the top.  These guys are some of Toronto’s most prolific, consistently booked resident DJs, and for good reason as this mixtape indicates.

The title is a bit of a misnomer as I personally wouldn’t classify most of the songs as hard house per se – the A side is mostly melodic and the B side is chiefly tech and Chicago style post-disco house. However, there are some truly banging tracks that will not disappoint the most dangerous housers.  The mixing is spot-on and obviously handled by a couple of pairs of delicate, skilled hands.  These guys get a lot of practise and it shows.

I was optimistic about the great quality of the audio on this tape, but unfortunately I believe the casing is damaged and squeezes inward a bit.  This makes the reels very difficult to turn about 3/4 of the way through side B – so much so that my tape player stopped in the same place the 3 times I tried to record it.  One time while trying to tighten up the tape by fast-forwarding and rewinding it all the way the tape didn’t disengage from the head and got barfed all over my floor.  It’s a darn good thing I have experience with this as it took me a good 10 minutes to gingerly unhook it from the head and respool it with a pencil.  The tape is a bit wrinkled but luckily it sounded pristine when I recorded it.

This is one of few tapes that includes a track list.  Here it is.  Please leave a comment to let me whether you enjoyed this tape and what your favourite track is.  Mine is Paco Di Bango by Playboy!

Side A (“Hard Side”)

Daft Punk – Around The World (RMX)
Dave Angel – Tokyo Stealth Fighter
Jark Prongo – D.M.S.
Junkheadz – Work On Me Baby
Yello – To The Sea
Peace Division – Back To Back
DJ Sneak – Keep On Groovin (RMX)
Le Patron – Est Devenu Fou
Sneaker Pimps – Six Underground (RMX)

Side B (“Harder Side”)

Studio 54 – Le Sample House
Basement Jaxx – Samba Magic (RMX)
Special Agents – The Slut
Playboy – Paco Di Bango
Rozzo – You Know
Joel Mull – Lusk 001
Music First – Stellarium
Green Flame & Mr. G – Who Knows Dub
Green Velvet – Answering Machine
Svek – What Is The Time